Thousands of people from across the city of Alexandria unite together to celebrate cultural diversity in Egypt and the wider Mediterranean region

From the 4^th to 5^th November 2010, more than 5000 people, including Alexandrian civil society and members of the international community, gathered together at the historic Qaitbey Citadel for the annual ‘Farah El Bahr’ cultural Festival.

The latest edition marks the five year anniversary of the setting up in Alexandria of the headquarters of the ‘Anna Lindh’ Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, an international institution which works across the two shores of the Mediterranean for dialogue, better understanding and peaceful coexistence between people from different cultural, religious and social backgrounds.

Taking place under the auspices of Alexandria Governorate, Mr. Adel Labib, Governor of Alexandria declared: “The great success of this year’s ‘Farah El Bahr’ Festival was a success for the whole of Alexandria and its people, reinforcing the city’s role as Arab Capital of Tourism and as a central player in cultural cooperation across the two shores of the Mediterranean.”

The latest edition of the Festival saw a range of new elements, including the very first international street parade as well as artists and performers travelling to Alexandria from a range of European countries, including Spain, Germany and Belgium. In addition, the Festival was an opportunity to highlight the cultural diversity that coexists within Egypt by presenting a platform for artists from Sinai, Siwa, Cairo, Port Said and Aswan, as well as performances by the foreign communities in Egypt.

The event is being organized by the Anna Lindh Foundation in partnership with the Egyptian Tourist Authority, the European Union, the Spanish and Belgian Embassies in Cairo in addition to other local and international partners.                                                                     

For more information on Farah El-Bahr Festival:

 www.farahelbahr.org